Triple Mission Success For
Ariane 5: Galaxy 30, Mev-2 And BSAT-4b Satellites
Arianespace’s fifth successful
mission of 2020 orbited two
telecommunications satellites and one satellite
servicing vehicle for operators
Intelsat, B-SAT and Northrop Grumman.
With this launch for two of its
most loyal customers, as well as a new operator,
Arianespace demonstrates the reliability and
competitiveness of its launch
service solutions, as well as the excellence of its
long-established customer
relationships.
On Saturday, August 15 at 22:04
UTC, Ariane 5 Flight VA253 was successfully performed
from
the Guiana Space Center, orbiting two satellites
produced by Northrop Grumman: Galaxy 30
for Intelsat, and MEV-2 for SpaceLogistics LLC, a 100%
subsidiary of Northrop Grumman;
along with BSAT-4b, built by Maxar Technologies for the
Japanese operator B-SAT.
“Arianespace is delighted to have
served two loyal customers – Intelsat and B-SAT – as
well
as Northrop Grumman's subsidiary, SpaceLogistics LLC,”
declared Stéphane Israël, the Chief
Executive Officer of Arianespace. “As part of this
mission, three satellites were deployed by
the most powerful Ariane 5 ever launched, thus
demonstrating the competitiveness of our
launch solutions and our capability for continuous
innovation."
The Galaxy 30 UHD video
distribution/broadcast and broadband satellite, built
for global
network operator Intelsat, will cover North America.
BSAT-4b will be used for
Ultra-High-Definition (UHD, 4K and 8K) direct-to-home
television
broadcasting across Japan, in conjunction with its twin,
BSAT-4a, launched by Arianespace in
2017.
The Arianespace relationship with
satellite operators Intelsat and B-SAT has continued for
several decades, and has grown stronger over time. Since
1983 – the date of the first mission
for Intelsat – Arianespace has launched 61 satellites on
behalf of this global operator. For BSAT, the Japanese
operator has entrusted Arianespace with the launch of
its entire fleet – a
total of 10 satellites.
Flight VA253’s third passenger, the
Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2), is a satellite
servicing vehicle designed to dock with satellites in
orbit. It will provide life extension services.
MEV-2's first customer will be the
Intelsat 10-02 satellite, which has been in service in
geostationary orbit since 2004 and will have its
operational life extended by five years.
The triple-payload launch performed
with Flight VA253 to orbit two telecommunications
satellites and a servicing spacecraft is a first for
Ariane 5.
Another important point: Flight
VA253 utilized the Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher,
developed and
produced by ArianeGroup, which has increased its payload
capacity by 85 kg. for this flight
with the introduction of a new vehicle equipment bay
(VEB) – bringing total capacity for the
satellite payloads to 10,200 kg. on missions to
geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
This Ariane 5 launcher is thereby
the most powerful ever operated by Arianespace, marking
the culmination of the continuous improvement program
for Ariane 5’s performance and
competitiveness that was implemented in 2016 by
ArianeGroup for the benefit of Arianespace.
It has provided a performance gain
300 kg., which continues to be available for customers
on Ariane 5 missions planned until the end of the
launcher’s operation.
The Ariane 5 launcher is a joint
European government-industry program. Arianespace is
responsible for marketing and operating Ariane 5
launches from the Guiana Space Center in
Kourou, French Guiana, with support from teams of the
French space agency (CNES) and the
European Space Agency (ESA) – which is responsible for
the Ariane programs. All industrial
activities relating to Ariane 5 are managed by
ArianeGroup. This includes the equipment and
structures, the manufacturing of engines, integration of
the various stages, followed by
integration of the complete launcher in French Guiana
before its delivery to Arianespace for
liftoff.
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